From Senator Jim Nielsen: “The State’s first priority must be saving money for the Rainy Day fund to ease the pain of budget cuts in an economic downturn. Programs that provide care to the most vulnerable Californians like Developmental Disability Services have not been adequately funded.

“To better serve people with developmental disabilities, I introduced Senate Bill 818, a bill similar to the one I introduced in Special Session last year. My commitment to make this funding permanent in the State's General Fund is unwavering.

“And I am so glad to hear that the Governor reaffirmed his commitment to build water storage. We must increase the state's above-ground water storage.

“Conservation alone won't get us out of this historic drought nor will it help get us through the next drought.

“Sites Reservoir is shoveled-ready to store up to 1.8 million acre feet of water.

“Planning for access to clean water is essential to the prosperity of future generations.”

Source: Office of Senator Jim Nielsen

 

From Senator Gaines: “In a state with the highest poverty rate in the nation, hundreds of billions in unfunded liabilities, and some of the highest gas taxes and worst roads, I hoped to hear more about the Governor's vision for solving those massive problems without crushing taxpayers.

“I’m happy that the state revenues are surging, but that should be viewed as an opportunity to pay down debt and fund one-time, high-priority projects. This month's stock market meltdown shows that our budget picture could change dramatically in just one year proving again that California needs to be a model of prudent, careful spending.

“I want the Governor to put some money back into working families' pockets. No tax increase extensions, and no new taxes on gas and health plans. Let’s—for once—grow the quality of life instead of growing bureaucracy.”

Source: Office of Senator Gaines

 

From Board of Equalization Vice Chair George Runner: “I share the governor’s optimism when it comes to California's future. Our state has a diverse economy, a strong commitment to education and more than enough revenue to fully fund roads, schools, and water storage without raising taxes.

“As the governor himself warns, we must continue to exercise fiscal prudence. The true test of his leadership will be whether he can hold the line on spending against the tax-and-spend liberal legislators of his own party.

“Instead of raising taxes, our focus should be on providing greater value for Californians by improving quality of life and by seeking solutions that make this state a more affordable place to live and work.”

Source: Office of George Runner

 

From Assemblymember Rocky Chávez: “Today, the Governor continued his theme of fiscal caution and hopeful planning for the future in his comments. While I applaud his recognition of this important principle, Governor Brown needs to focus on practical government solutions that cut back on waste and gets our State back to common sense governance,” said Chávez.

“We have a major hole in our Healthcare system, we have a backlog of billions of dollars in infrastructure repairs and we continue to face one of the worst droughts in California with no adequate water storage. The rubber band can only stretch so far until it snaps. We need to put practical solutions into place to take care of these issues while continuing to budget for our rainy day fund.”

“In his closing, the Governor discussed being courageous yet cautious. With the changing world markets, the uncertainty of how foreign affairs will affect our state and our volatile income tax dependency, Brown made one thing certain today, 2016 will not be 2015,” said Chávez.

Source: Office of Rocky Chávez